Pillars of Faith

My Grace is Sufficient for Thee

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Donnie Shelton

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Series Code: POF

Program Code: POF000027A


00:24 Hello and welcome once again to, Pillars of Faith.
00:28 I like to call it, a word for today in today's world.
00:31 And we welcome you to session number two
00:34 of our sitting with pastor Donnie Shelton,
00:38 he of Touching Hearts Ministries here in southern Illinois,
00:43 and really stretching around the world.
00:45 On yesterday we heard a powerful message,
00:47 Faith Equals Knowledge Times Light.
00:51 And I like that idea, that faith is knowledge times light.
00:56 Donnie, as you well know, is an energetic and enthusiastic
01:00 preacher of the Word.
01:02 And we like to have men and women who are passionate
01:05 about the things of God.
01:07 And that certainly describes Donnie Shelton.
01:09 As he preaches the word of God you feel that it comes from
01:13 a living experience with the Lord.
01:17 Just found out backstage that we are just about the same age.
01:20 Been in the ministry a good many years,
01:22 and God has blessed his ministry.
01:25 And his searching in the Word has brought forth,
01:29 like I said, our meat in due season for our thirsty souls.
01:32 So we fully expect that again today as you listen to
01:36 his message, which is entitled, My Grace is Sufficient for Thee,
01:42 as you hear that word you will be inspired, informed,
01:46 and given strength to keep on serving the Lord,
01:50 Jesus Christ.
01:53 God has been so good to Donnie, he and his lovely wife, Brenda,
01:57 serving the Lord together.
01:59 And we know that God has many things to give
02:02 to you through him, and so we ask for you and for him
02:08 God's richest blessings.
02:10 I'm going to ask you now to bow your heads with me
02:11 as we pray and formerly ask God to be the center
02:15 and circumference of this meeting.
02:16 And then we will turn you over to the man of God,
02:19 Pastor Donnie Shelton of Touching Hearts Ministries,
02:23 who will deliver the word of God here on, Pillars of Faith.
02:27 Shall we pray. Father God, how we praise You
02:30 and thank You for the power of Your word.
02:35 We thank You, dear Lord, for the fact that when the word
02:40 is preached, it will go to its appointed ends
02:45 and do precisely what You have called it to do.
02:48 That is, touching hearts, changing lives,
02:52 rearranging destinies for all eternity.
02:56 I ask You to bless Donnie in a special way as he preaches.
02:59 Fill him with Your Spirit so that Spirit can flow
03:03 through him to us as we listen to his words.
03:08 May they truly be Your words.
03:11 May our lives be enriched, and may we be given
03:15 courage and strength to continue to serve You
03:19 until You call us from labor to reward.
03:23 Bless now the man of God, bless his words,
03:26 and bless the thousands upon thousands upon thousands
03:31 who will hear.
03:32 And we thank You, dear Father.
03:34 In Jesus' name, amen and amen.
03:37 And now Pastor Donnie Shelton.
03:44 Thank you, Pastor C.A.
03:46 What a privilege it is to be in God's house today and have
03:50 the honor of preaching the lovely Jesus Christ
03:53 to His people.
03:54 We're so glad that you tuned in today.
03:57 Our message today is entitled, There is No Elevator.
04:01 I have several titles for today;
04:03 God's Grace is Sufficient for Thee.
04:06 But where I got this title, There is No Elevator,
04:08 came from my cousin Danny.
04:11 When we talk about God's grace, God's grace,
04:16 grace is merely the fact that everything that
04:19 God does for us, and through us, and in us, is a gift.
04:27 It's unmerited.
04:29 I did nothing to earn the privilege today
04:32 of preaching the lovely Jesus to His people.
04:35 What an honor.
04:36 And you know, I just feel like this:
04:38 within myself, within my capabilities, within my talents,
04:44 I don't have the ability, I do not have the ability,
04:48 to bring this word to you today.
04:50 But through the power of the Holy Spirit,
04:55 which another gift, God will provide me the words
04:59 to speak to you, the words that you need to hear today,
05:03 that no matter what you're going through today,
05:05 what circumstance, no matter how dark it is,
05:08 God is able to supply an avenue to get you out of
05:15 maybe a bad situation.
05:17 Maybe you're in bad financial straits today,
05:20 maybe you got a bad lab report.
05:22 God is able, through His power, and through His mercy,
05:27 and through His grace to deliver you.
05:30 He is able to meet all of our requests
05:33 and our demands today.
05:35 God's grace is sufficient for you today, and for me as well.
05:41 But this title that I threw in today is called,
05:45 There is No Elevator.
05:47 And I'm going to go ahead and read 2 Corinthians 12:9.
05:51 Listen to this.
05:52 "And he said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee:
05:59 for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'"
06:03 You know, when Paul wrote this, he had just been
06:06 knocked off of a horse.
06:09 He was on his way to Damascus.
06:12 And God saw Paul, and that he could be an ambassador,
06:17 a minister of the gospel, that he could take Jesus Christ
06:21 to the Gentiles.
06:22 Now Paul, I'm sure, on the way to Damascus
06:26 maybe to capture some more Christians,
06:28 never dreamed that God was looking down on him
06:33 and God's grace would shine upon him.
06:36 Did Paul deserve to be a minister? No.
06:38 And Paul will tell you that.
06:40 But God thought, "This is the man that I need
06:44 to deliver the message of My Son, Jesus Christ."
06:48 So God, out of love, called Paul into the ministry.
06:53 And then God enabled him, He gave him the talents,
06:57 and the knowledge, and the faith, and the power
07:00 to be the man that God wanted him to be.
07:03 If God is calling you today into a ministry,
07:08 He will enable you, through His grace,
07:11 through His Spirit, to do what He is asking you to do.
07:15 We all have a task, number one priority in everyone's life,
07:19 they should pray, "God, who can I bring to Jesus for You?"
07:26 Proverbs says we're all called to be soul winners.
07:29 So ask God today, "Lord, there's a person out there,
07:33 I pray that You'll use me
07:36 through the power of the Holy Spirit,
07:38 that You will enable me through Thy Word,
07:41 to bring them to Jesus Christ."
07:44 Let's go back to the sermon title today.
07:46 This is the number one part.
07:48 There is No Elevator.
07:50 Many, many years ago, it's been 12 or 13 years ago,
07:53 my cousin Danny Shelton and I were just outside
07:56 this worship center, and we were talking.
07:59 We were talking about my new ministry,
08:02 Touching Hearts Ministries.
08:03 And of course we went right back to 3ABN,
08:05 the miracles that God has done through 3ABN.
08:09 And I said, "Danny, I want to preach here,
08:13 I want to preach there.
08:15 Danny, I want more faith.
08:18 Danny, I want the Lord to give me some more words to speak,
08:21 some more messages.
08:22 I need lots of knowledge, Danny.
08:23 I need an extra measure of the Holy Spirit.
08:26 I want to be what God wants me to be."
08:28 He said, "Donnie, Donnie, slow down.
08:31 Let me tell you, when you start working for Jesus,
08:35 and in His ministries, there are no elevators.
08:42 You will have to take the stairs like everybody else."
08:46 Just like Mark Finley, just like Pastor John Lomacang,
08:49 just like Pastor C.A. Murray, just like Pastor Hal Steenson.
08:52 "You'll have to take the stairs like everybody else."
08:56 We grow in Jesus, not rapidly upward like
09:00 an elevator would take us.
09:02 We have to take the stairs of life.
09:04 And as we walk and as we study the Word of God,
09:08 and as we pray and as we witness, our faith in Christ
09:12 begins to grow.
09:14 And then we gain these experiences in life.
09:17 As we travel for Jesus, as we walk for Jesus,
09:21 we gain valuable experiences that we can put into
09:27 the ministry of bringing people to Jesus Christ.
09:32 Let's go a little bit further here.
09:33 Now, walking with Jesus...
09:36 Like Danny said, there's no elevator.
09:39 You're going to have to take the stairs like everybody else.
09:42 Walking with Jesus is one flight of stairs after another.
09:48 Climbing upward, never staying on the first floor,
09:52 the second floor, or the third floor.
09:55 We should be continually growing in Jesus Christ.
10:00 Now let's go a little bit further with this message.
10:02 Listen very carefully.
10:03 As we walk with Jesus, we will call that again today,
10:09 the walk of sanctification.
10:11 As I move forward for Jesus, we must be always moving
10:16 forward for Jesus, as we gain in faith,
10:19 and strength, and power through the Holy Spirit,
10:23 and through studying the Bible, something takes place within us
10:28 called transformation.
10:30 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man
10:36 be in Christ, he is a brand new creature.
10:38 And old things pass away," and praise God,
10:41 "everything are becomes new."
10:42 It's transformation within you.
10:45 When the Holy Spirit comes to live within you,
10:49 He produces transformation.
10:52 And transformation, listen carefully now,
10:55 will produce motivation.
10:58 The Holy Spirit will produce innovation,
11:02 dedication, and sanctification.
11:05 We need motivation today.
11:09 Motivation is a state or a condition of being motivated.
11:15 It is desire. It is an action word.
11:18 Once I accepted Christ as my personal Savior,
11:22 I said, "Lord," I was like Paul, "Lord, now that You came
11:26 into my life, now that I've been washed in the blood of Jesus,
11:30 now that I've been wrapped in His righteousness
11:33 and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit,
11:35 oh God, my faith has been renewed.
11:38 I feel motivated to do something for Jesus."
11:42 We have different speakers out there in the Adventist movement
11:47 that are motivators.
11:50 When I think of Mark Finley, Pastor Mark Finley,
11:52 when he comes on 3ABN the first thing that my wife
11:56 and I do, we go get some handkerchiefs
11:59 because his sermons are tearjerkers.
12:02 You're going to be touched.
12:04 When Doug Batchelor comes on 3ABN,
12:07 we go get all of our study guides.
12:09 Are you with me?
12:11 When David Asscherick comes on 3ABN,
12:13 we go get our dictionaries.
12:16 He uses words about that long. I need a dictionary.
12:18 Sometimes I even need an encyclopedia.
12:20 When my cousin Danny Shelton is on 3ABN,
12:24 we go out, we grab our suitcases, we get our car keys,
12:28 we put our tennis shoes on, because he's a motivator.
12:31 We feel like, man, the blessing is on the, "Go."
12:33 We have to do something for Jesus.
12:35 We need motivators that are filled with the
12:39 power of the Holy Spirit.
12:41 And all of this takes place because of God's amazing grace.
12:46 We don't deserve the gift of the Holy Spirit.
12:49 We do not deserve the gift of faith.
12:52 We don't deserve the gift of love or salvation.
12:55 We don't deserve the gift of eternal life.
12:57 But God, because of His great love toward us,
13:02 because of His compassion toward us,
13:05 His grace, His unmerited favor shines on us.
13:11 And that should motivate us.
13:13 I call it, the grace-given, faith-driven.
13:16 3ABN is grace-given.
13:19 Because they're grace-driven, it causes faith-driven.
13:25 Grace-driven, faith-driven. Grace-given.
13:29 Are you with me so far?
13:30 Grace and faith work hand in hand.
13:35 Because of God's unmerited favor, I have been blessed,
13:39 I have been transformed.
13:41 Not because I deserve it.
13:43 I want to always go back to that.
13:44 I deserve nothing.
13:46 But God loves me, as it says in Jeremiah 31:3,
13:49 with an everlasting love.
13:52 Now that I have the faith, now that I've been motivated
13:58 to move forward, now that I know that God is calling me
14:01 into ministry, I have to have the faith and rely on God,
14:06 that God is able to do what I ask.
14:09 Remember we said in a sermon not too long ago
14:12 that hope is that God will answer our prayers.
14:17 Faith is: God is capable;
14:20 I hope He will answer our prayers.
14:23 But I know that God is able.
14:26 So we're going to go this morning to Exodus 14:14-16.
14:34 Let's read those together.
14:35 Get your Bibles out.
14:37 Grab you a pencil and paper.
14:39 I want you to write these scriptures down.
14:42 And when we're finished with this sermon,
14:45 I want you to go back to these scriptures and study them
14:48 for yourselves as well.
14:49 God is able.
14:53 Exodus 14:14-16, and here's what the Bible says.
14:59 "The LORD shall fight for you," praise God.
15:03 "Hold your peace."
15:04 Verse 13 says, "Fear not, stand still,
15:08 and see the salvation of the LORD..."
15:11 "And the LORD said unto Moses..."
15:13 I love Moses.
15:15 "The LORD said unto Moses, 'Wherefore thou criest unto me?
15:19 Speak unto the children of Israel,
15:21 that they may go forward.'"
15:24 In your walk with Jesus, there is no stopping point.
15:27 There is no rest.
15:29 We must be constantly, consistently, persistently
15:34 moving forward for Jesus Christ.
15:36 "But thou..." Listen to what God told Moses.
15:39 "But thou lift up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand
15:43 over the sea, and divide it."
15:46 Now let's break this scripture down.
15:48 Let me break it down here for you.
15:49 Here we find Moses and the Israelites
15:53 who had just been freed by the power of God
15:59 from the hands of the Egyptians.
16:01 They were trapped now, they were cornered,
16:04 with seemingly no way out.
16:08 Pharaoh behind them and the Red Sea before them.
16:11 Here was Moses, here were God's people.
16:14 They were trapped, it seemed by all appearances
16:18 there was no way out.
16:20 But God is able to get you out of that seemingly
16:24 impossible situation.
16:27 All we need is faith in God that He is able,
16:33 and willing, and wants to help me.
16:37 Is everybody with me so far?
16:38 Let's go a little bit further now.
16:40 God...
16:41 Now I want you to think about this.
16:43 God could have stopped Pharaoh's army from mounting their horses.
16:50 He could have stopped them from manning their chariots.
16:53 He could have stopped them from marching toward their desire
16:56 for vengeance and slaughter of Moses.
16:59 But God did not.
17:01 Now the question here, why did God not stop
17:06 Pharaoh and his army?
17:08 Listen very carefully.
17:09 God's people could have left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea,
17:14 and journeyed toward the Promise Land
17:17 without any incidence whatsoever.
17:19 But God... Now listen to this carefully.
17:22 Listen carefully.
17:24 But God allowed the trial,
17:28 even at the beginning of their journey.
17:32 We will go through some fiery trials in this life.
17:37 But these trials are given to us, they are allowed
17:41 to happen to us, for our own good.
17:44 Praise God.
17:45 We need refined.
17:47 When I'm in my darkest hour, that's when I find myself
17:51 on my knees.
17:52 That's when I say, "Oh God, I'm in trouble this time.
17:56 I need Your help."
17:57 I rely on Him.
17:59 And then God miraculously answers my prayer.
18:03 And I find out God is able, God is willing,
18:07 God loves me and He wants to answer my prayers.
18:09 Praise God.
18:11 There are times we need trials to refine us.
18:15 God knows where you stand with Him.
18:18 But maybe there are folks around you today,
18:20 they need to know, they need to see that when you go
18:23 through these trials, that you remain faithful to God,
18:27 because you have studied the Word of God.
18:30 You've prayed, you've testified, and you've walked the walk.
18:35 Listen go a little bit further here.
18:36 Now listen very carefully.
18:38 From the moment we started our journey for Christ,
18:42 being delivered from a crisis situation by the hand of God,
18:47 here's what it does.
18:49 It encourages, it builds faith,
18:53 it builds trust in whom we are following.
18:57 Jesus Christ.
18:59 Every time the Lord allows me to have victory,
19:04 through the power of the Holy Spirit,
19:06 I become encouraged.
19:10 My faith is renewed.
19:13 I learn to trust in Him.
19:16 I learn to rely on Him.
19:19 So these trials, and sometimes they are fiery trials as well,
19:23 they are allowed to happen for my own good.
19:28 I need to know that when I'm in trouble,
19:32 there is someone waiting for me with arms open
19:35 to say, "Donnie, I can help you.
19:37 And Donnie, the only one that can help you is God."
19:40 Let's go a bit further here.
19:42 Now, is God able to heal?
19:48 There are those right now that are praying
19:52 for physical healing.
19:54 They are not healed on some occasions.
19:58 Some occasions they are.
20:00 If they are not healed, is their faith weak?
20:05 Do they doubt?
20:07 If they are not healed, is it their fault?
20:11 Let's talk about that this morning.
20:13 Let's do.
20:14 Is God able to heal?
20:16 Yes, yes, God is able to heal.
20:20 Yes, but of course He's able.
20:23 And at times He honors our prayers and He does heal.
20:28 Sometimes He does not.
20:31 When God doesn't heal, is it our fault?
20:36 Are we lacking in faith?
20:37 Let's study that this morning.
20:39 I want you to get your Bibles out,
20:41 turn to 2 Corinthians with me.
20:44 2 Corinthians the 12th chapter,
20:47 and together let's read verses 7-9.
20:51 We're going to be talking about Paul today.
20:55 One of my favorite writers.
20:57 I just love Paul.
20:59 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
21:04 Read this with me.
21:06 "And lest I should be exalted..."
21:08 Remember, this is Paul speaking.
21:11 "And lest I should be exalted above measure
21:15 through the abundance of the revelations,
21:17 there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh,
21:22 the messenger of Satan to buffet me,
21:26 lest I should be exalted above measure.
21:30 For this thing I besought..."
21:32 Paul, this is Paul speaking.
21:35 "For this thing I," Paul, "besought the Lord three times,
21:39 that it might depart from me.
21:41 And he said unto me, 'Paul, Paul, My grace
21:46 is sufficient for thee:
21:48 for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'"
21:52 So Paul said, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory
21:57 in my infirmities, that the power of Christ
22:00 might rest upon me."
22:02 Now let's break this scripture down.
22:04 Listen carefully.
22:06 Paul's conclusion on the matter of healing was,
22:12 "It would be great to have this constant
22:15 physical problem removed.
22:19 But if the removal of this infirmity is going to
22:24 cost me my soul, or make my calling as a minister void
22:29 in any way, or put a wall between me and my God,
22:35 then I will glory in my infirmities.
22:38 I will trust that these infirmities
22:41 are for my eternal benefit."
22:45 God does not always heal. Sometimes God does.
22:49 We don't understand.
22:52 God said, "My ways are above your ways.
22:54 My thoughts are above your thoughts."
22:56 It's hard to understand God.
22:59 But I will say this to you:
23:02 In faith, that whether you're healed or not healed,
23:06 God has a plan for you.
23:08 That the trail that you're going through today
23:11 will allow you to lean upon Him.
23:16 He is only one God, the Creator of all things.
23:20 Praise God. Let's go a bit further here.
23:22 Now, listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.
23:29 Here's what Paul says.
23:31 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment..."
23:37 Folks, if you live to be a hundred here on this earth,
23:40 compared to eternity, that's just a short period of time.
23:45 And no matter what we go through here,
23:48 compared to the joys of heaven,
23:51 Paul said it's just a light affliction.
23:54 It's very, very light.
23:56 But listen, let's read it again.
23:58 "For our light affliction, which is but for just a moment,
24:03 worketh for us a far more exceeding
24:06 and eternal weight of glory."
24:08 Here's what Paul was saying.
24:10 Sufferings will end, but the blessings of God
24:15 will endure forever.
24:17 And everybody say amen.
24:19 I mean, compared to the joys of heaven...
24:23 Eye has not seen, nor ear has heard,
24:25 nor has entered into the hearts of men
24:27 what God has got prepared for us in heaven.
24:31 So no matter what we're going through today,
24:34 even though it's a heavy burden, even though we may be
24:38 going through grief or heartache, compared to the
24:41 glories of heaven, the things that God has prepared for us
24:46 out of His love, these are nothing more than irritations.
24:50 They're just light afflictions.
24:53 "So what, Donnie, Brother Donnie, what are the results
24:57 of afflictions, these light afflictions that Paul mentioned
25:00 here in 2 Corinthians the 4th chapter?
25:03 What are the results of the trials, the tribulations,
25:08 and the afflictions that I'm going through today?"
25:10 Listen, afflictions; it purifies and refines our character.
25:18 It cultivates trust and dependence upon God.
25:24 It subdues self wants and self desires.
25:29 Afflictions, listen, they bring the will of the believer
25:34 into a more complete harmony with the will of God.
25:38 No matter what affliction you're going through today,
25:41 I beg of you, I plead, lean upon God.
25:45 Trust in God.
25:48 He's the Deliverer, He's the Savior,
25:50 He's the master Physician.
25:52 And He loves you today.
25:53 Let's go a little bit further.
25:55 Listen, affliction; it allows the exercise of faith.
26:02 Pillars of Faith.
26:04 It all comes from what is inside the Book.
26:08 What Book? The Bible, the Holy Word.
26:12 God's love letter to the world.
26:15 It exercises faith.
26:17 Afflictions, and trials, and tribulations exercise faith.
26:23 I always fall to my knees when I'm in need.
26:28 It seems like if everything's going good and great,
26:32 the wife is fine, the children, the grandchildren,
26:35 it seems like the funds are coming in for the ministry,
26:37 it seems like I don't spend as much time in the Word.
26:42 Are you with me?
26:43 But when the trials come, the first one I turn to
26:46 is the only one that can really help me.
26:48 God the Father.
26:50 Listen, listen, affliction allows us to exercise faith.
26:57 It is in affliction, pain, grief, sorrow that the things
27:04 of the world seem so important.
27:08 Friends, brothers and sisters, today, if you're going through
27:14 a dark time today; it seems like money
27:19 is not a problem anymore,
27:22 those new tires that you needed for the car
27:25 seem inconsequential.
27:28 Because when we're talking about our eternal destination,
27:32 the circumstances in life that will either take us away from
27:38 eternal life or will bring us to eternal life
27:41 through Jesus Christ, it just seems like
27:44 when the heavy burdens come that the things of this world
27:47 don't matter much.
27:48 But when everything is good, and I feel good,
27:52 and I am healthy, and the grand kids are behaving,
27:55 it just seem like I just want to keep digging deeper
27:58 into the cares of the world.
28:00 But I can tell you, God has allowed a trial
28:02 to come into your life so that you'll get your thoughts,
28:05 and your mind, and your eyes off the cares of this world,
28:08 and then turn upward to Him.
28:10 Praise God. And why does God do that?
28:12 Let's say it one more time.
28:13 Because is intensely in love with you.
28:18 There are folks out there that are viewing in today,
28:22 they have a great knowledge of Scripture.
28:26 When God called me into the ministry,
28:29 Touching Hearts Ministries,
28:31 He said, "Donnie, I have a great many people
28:35 with great amount of knowledge.
28:39 They know Me, they know about Me,
28:42 but they don't have a personal intimate relationship with Me.
28:48 So, Donnie, I want you to preach the lovely Jesus to My people.
28:54 I want you to reintroduce Jesus to My people.
28:59 My people have it here, I want them to have it here."
29:03 Praise God.
29:05 So knowledge of Scripture, we must have it.
29:08 Faith; must have it.
29:11 Realizing the grace of the almighty God,
29:14 we must understand that.
29:16 And also we must understand that there's a God out there
29:19 who is able to do anything that we ask.
29:23 Now, we may not always get what we want.
29:28 But God knows what we need.
29:31 Through the trials, the tribulations,
29:33 the dark times, God knows exactly what you need.
29:36 And here's what 1 Peter says.
29:39 My brother, Peter.
29:40 I love him as well.
29:42 In the 4th chapter, 1 Peter 4, let's read this together,
29:46 verses 12 and 13.
29:48 "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial
29:53 which is," listen, "the fiery trial which is to try you,
30:00 as though some strange thing had happened to you.
30:03 But rejoice, inasmuch..."
30:06 He said, rejoice.
30:08 "...that ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings;
30:12 that when his glory shall be revealed,
30:15 ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."
30:19 You know, no matter what you're going through today;
30:22 you may be fighting drug addiction, alcohol,
30:27 you may be going through a divorce today,
30:29 you may have lost everything that you own,
30:32 all of your property today,
30:34 you may have left the church today,
30:36 you may have lost your faith today,
30:39 but I will say this: no matter what you're going through today,
30:46 no matter what you're going through today,
30:48 no matter how dark it is,
30:50 someone at some time throughout history
30:54 has gone through the same thing you're going through today.
30:58 And they got victory, they won victory through Jesus Christ.
31:04 And James 2 says that God is no respecter of persons.
31:09 You know what that means?
31:11 That when God looks down on this planet,
31:16 He sees right now over six billion babies.
31:22 He's no respecter of persons.
31:24 Black, white, Chinese, German, whatever it might be,
31:29 they're His babies.
31:30 And He loves each and every one.
31:32 And He will treat them all exactly the same.
31:35 Is everybody with me so far?
31:36 Praise God that we serve a God like that.
31:39 Let's go a little bit further.
31:40 So many complaints and murmurings against God.
31:45 When afflictions and trials come, just as did the Israelites
31:50 when they followed Moses through the wilderness...
31:53 Moses was always number one.
31:55 Oh, God was supreme.
31:57 But when the afflictions came and the trials of their journey
32:01 mounted, the people turned on Moses
32:04 and rejected God.
32:06 Now I can't point fingers.
32:08 If I'm not careful, I'm liable to do that as well.
32:11 When everything is going just perfect,
32:14 if we're not careful we sort of stray away from God.
32:17 That's why God, let's say it one more time, folks,
32:19 He allows these trials and tribulations
32:22 to come into your life.
32:23 To keep you in His will.
32:25 To keep you on the path of righteousness.
32:27 Let read a little further here now.
32:29 Is God able to deliver us from the afflictions? Yes.
32:35 But maybe we have rooted ourselves
32:38 in the cares of this world.
32:40 Maybe we have become self-sufficient
32:43 and totally rely on man's laws and upon medical science.
32:48 Maybe for our own good, for our growth, we need a fiery trial.
32:55 Let me interject this while we're here.
32:58 I want to put this in my sermon today.
33:01 There are folks out there that it appears to the human eye
33:07 that they have drifted so far from God,
33:10 that they are so far into sin, with addictions,
33:14 whether alcohol or whatever it might be today,
33:17 that there is no hope for them.
33:20 I have news for you today.
33:23 As long as they're breathing, there's hope for them.
33:27 They may need someone like you to stand in the gap for them
33:32 through prayer.
33:34 Say, "Oh God, it appears to my eyes that they're
33:38 so far out there in sin, they're so far out there in
33:41 in the cares of this world, that there's no bringing
33:44 them back to You."
33:46 But let me say this, my friend.
33:48 I had the privilege of traveling a lot of
33:52 miles the last 14 years.
33:54 Been in a lot of states, and a lot of cities,
33:56 in different countries.
33:57 And just privileged and love preaching the gospel of Christ.
34:00 And so let me give you an example of what
34:03 God is able to do through the power of faith and prayer.
34:11 I was at a meeting, and I won't tell you what city I was in,
34:13 but I was in Iowa.
34:15 A beautiful church there with some great loving people.
34:18 As I began the service...
34:20 We had a really big crowd that morning.
34:22 Praise God.
34:24 ...I looked toward the back of the church
34:26 and there was a young man sitting there.
34:28 Oh, probably about 35 years old.
34:31 He appeared to be about 6 foot 4.
34:35 And so my surprise, he had on one of those muscle shirts.
34:39 Those workout shirts.
34:41 And a pair of jogging pants and tennis shoes on.
34:44 And as I looked at him as I was speaking,
34:46 I noticed he had earrings in and a huge gold necklace.
34:50 And he had large tattoos all over his body.
34:54 And as you could tell, he was a workout fiend.
34:57 I mean, he had big muscles that big.
34:59 The veins in his arms were bigger than my arms.
35:02 He was just a big man.
35:03 About 6 foot 4, I guess he weighted about 250 pounds.
35:07 The message that day was that God will
35:09 take you just as you are.
35:10 As is in that condition.
35:12 Just as you are.
35:14 That no matter what you've done in the past,
35:17 no matter how far in sin you may have sank,
35:20 that God loves you with an everlasting love.
35:23 And that through His grace, and through His mercy,
35:26 and through His love, if you will come to Him
35:29 and humbly bow, He will forgive you.
35:32 And if you remain faithful, you'll be in the kingdom.
35:36 After the service, I noticed that here came that large man
35:41 walking right at me.
35:44 Remember this, he's about 6 foot 4,
35:46 and oh he's about that broad.
35:48 Still had the workout shirt on.
35:50 And he walks up to me and he looks down at me.
35:54 He said, "Pastor Donnie, in the message today
35:59 you said that no matter what I've done in the past,
36:03 no matter what I'm guilty of, no matter how bad the sin,
36:09 that God will forgive me.
36:12 And then you went on to say that if we confess our sins,
36:16 that God is faithful and just
36:17 and He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
36:19 I said, "Yes I did."
36:20 He said, "I have a few questions for you, pastor.
36:23 Can I continue to come to this church dressed just like I am?
36:28 Can I do that?"
36:30 And I said, "Well, brother," as I looked up at him,
36:33 "as big as you are, you can do anything that you want to do.
36:38 But I'm asking you this.
36:41 Continue to come to church.
36:44 But as the Holy Spirit guides you and directs you,
36:48 if you decide to cover up your body with a nice t-shirt,
36:53 and the Holy Spirit asked you to do that, would you do that?"
36:56 He said, "I'll do that."
36:57 But he said, "Pastor, you said that I can come to
37:00 God just as I am today."
37:01 I said, "Yes."
37:03 "So I'm asking you, pastor, if I bow down right now
37:07 on my knees, would you bow down with me?
37:12 Would you ask God to save me?
37:16 And if we do, do you promise me, pastor, that God will
37:21 wash me clean in His blood?
37:23 That He'll fill me with His Spirit.
37:25 That I might find out today, oh God, what do you want me to do?"
37:30 I said, "Brother, if you'll bow down with me
37:33 and surrender your life and your will to God,
37:36 you will be a child of the King."
37:39 That big man that in all appearances had gone too far
37:44 out into the world, that there was no hope,
37:47 this big man bowed down there and he gave his life to Christ.
37:53 Praise God.
37:55 We can't go by appearances.
37:58 When the Spirit leads you, continue to move forward.
38:03 When He talks to you, move forward.
38:06 The only way we're going to be able to understand
38:08 God's voice and recognize God's voice,
38:10 we have to spend time in His Word.
38:13 Meditating upon His Word.
38:15 Praying and studying and asking God for an extra measure
38:21 of faith, and power through the Holy Spirit.
38:24 to become the man or woman that God wants you to be.
38:28 Praise God.
38:29 So as we go a little bit further here,
38:30 now if we would have the opportunity to talk to Moses...
38:36 And we will when we walk into that New Jerusalem.
38:40 Praise God.
38:41 If we would ask Moses today, "Is God able to save us,
38:47 to deliver us from every day trials and tribulations,
38:52 extreme situations that seem impossible to overcome,"
38:57 you know what he would tell you?
38:58 I'm sure he would say this.
39:00 "How much more extreme a situation than being trapped
39:07 with no way out, but God provided a way of escape
39:14 and parted the Red Sea.
39:16 And I walked across that sea on dry ground
39:19 with one million people behind me.
39:23 And you ask me," Moses says, "is God able?
39:26 Yes, God is able.
39:30 Wow, you know, when God told Moses to put his hand out
39:34 over that sea, it would divide, you know, in Moses' mind,
39:39 sure, I know I would, "How is this going to happen?
39:44 How are we going to get to the other side?
39:47 You know, God said it's going to divide, but is there
39:49 going to be a bridge come across?
39:51 Is God going to build a bridge across the sea?
39:54 Maybe is there going to be a big boat come up
39:56 and escort us across the sea?
39:59 How is this going to happen?"
40:01 But Moses, praise God, when God told him to do it,
40:04 he did it out of faith.
40:06 Because he knew that God is able.
40:11 Praise God. Let's go a bit further.
40:12 1 Corinthians 10:13
40:15 Listen to what the Bible says here today.
40:17 1 Corinthians 10:13
40:19 God is faithful.
40:22 No matter what you're going through today, brother,
40:25 God is faithful.
40:26 He will not turn His eyes from you.
40:29 His eyes are focused upon you.
40:31 "God is faithful, who will not suffer you
40:35 to be tempted above that ye are able;
40:38 but will with the temptation also make a way of escape,
40:43 that ye may be able to bear it."
40:46 Now let's go a little bit further with Moses.
40:48 Surely Moses, when standing at the shore of the Red Sea
40:53 with the charging army of the Egyptians
40:56 and the screams of terror from those freed from Pharaoh's rule,
41:01 surely the temptation was to throw the staff on the ground
41:04 and say, "I don't know what we're going to do."
41:06 But really that's not what he thought at all.
41:08 I'm trying to put into mind's eye what I
41:10 might have been thinking.
41:12 "Lord, what are we going to do now?
41:14 How are You going to perform this incredible miracle?"
41:18 Listen, "And Moses cried," in verse 4, Exodus 17:4,
41:23 listen to what Moses said, "And Moses cried
41:25 unto the LORD, saying, 'What shall I do with these people?
41:28 They're about ready to stone me.'
41:30 And the LORD said to Moses, 'Go on before the people,
41:34 and take with thee the elders of Israel;
41:36 and thy rod, wherefore thou smotest the river,
41:40 take in thine hand, and go.
41:42 Behold,'" God said...
41:43 Now listen. This God is able.
41:45 "...I will stand before thee upon the rock...
41:48 ...and there shall come water out of it,
41:51 that the people may drink."
41:53 Now Moses did as he was told.
41:57 When God asks you to do something today or tomorrow,
42:01 just do what you're told.
42:03 God will supply what you need. Praise God.
42:06 Moses did as he was instructed.
42:08 Now remember, in this story here, the people were thirsty.
42:13 The animals were thirsty.
42:14 They were getting desperate.
42:16 Moses did as he was instructed.
42:18 And he struck the rock, and the water began to flow
42:23 in great abundance.
42:24 Listen, over a million people received water.
42:29 And also the herds of the sheep, and the goats,
42:32 and the oxen, and the horses, and the birds.
42:35 And they all took baths. Praise God.
42:38 And they cooked their meals.
42:39 And then they filled their barrels with
42:41 fresh water from the rock.
42:43 And the rock is Jesus Christ. That's the rock.
42:48 So again today, if we have the opportunity
42:53 to say, "Moses, is God able to perform a miracle
42:58 at the midnight hour, at the darkest
43:01 and most doubtful filled hearts," his answer would be
43:05 a resounding, "Yes."
43:09 No matter what you're going through today,
43:12 let me say it one more time, someone has gone through
43:16 that trial, that tribulation.
43:18 And through faith in God, they overcame that whatever.
43:26 Affliction, as we talked about a few moments ago.
43:28 That fiery trial.
43:30 Through their trust, and their reliance,
43:33 and their faith in God.
43:35 Because as we study the Scriptures, we find out
43:40 more about God's character.
43:43 We find out He is a loving God,
43:47 that He's a caring God,
43:49 that He's a merciful God,
43:51 that He is a God of compassion.
43:55 And we find out that He cares.
43:58 I think about King Hezekiah.
44:01 He loved God.
44:02 He kept the ten commandment law.
44:05 He did as he was instructed.
44:08 But the time had come that King Hezekiah was told that
44:13 he was going to die.
44:14 Now he did the first thing that I would do.
44:18 He started to cry.
44:20 But then he got his composure, and he went to God in prayer.
44:26 He said, "Lord," this is King Hezekiah here,
44:30 "I have served You, I have loved You,
44:34 I have kept Your commandments.
44:36 I have adhered to everything that You've asked me to do.
44:40 So, oh God, don't forget Your faithful servant today.
44:45 I'm asking for life. I don't want to die."
44:50 Now I'm asking You today, was God able to save his life?
44:55 And the Bible says, if you'll study, that God gave him
44:59 fifteen more years of life.
45:01 Fifteen more years of life.
45:04 And in those fifteen years, he remained faithful to God;
45:08 through study, through prayer.
45:11 His faith saved his life.
45:14 Your faith today in God and His Son Jesus Christ
45:18 will not only save your life today,
45:22 but your eternal destination as well.
45:25 Because the Bible is very explicit.
45:28 If we happen to pass away, like King Hezekiah did
45:32 fifteen years later, if we pass away
45:36 and we're in the grave, if we have remained faithful to God
45:41 since He called us out of the world of sin,
45:45 and we have remained faithful through prayer, and study,
45:49 and working for Him and His kingdom,
45:52 He's promised that when He comes there will be a trumpet
45:57 that will sound.
45:58 And that the dead in Christ, those that are in the grave,
46:03 those that are asleep in Jesus Christ,
46:05 would raise from the grave.
46:08 And if we are alive and remain at Christ's coming,
46:12 we'll be caught together and go up in the air
46:16 to be with Jesus forever and ever.
46:18 But folks, it takes faith.
46:20 It takes dedication.
46:22 It takes persistence and consistency
46:24 in your walk with Christ, no matter the trails and
46:27 tribulations that you're going through.
46:30 Is God able?
46:31 In Paul's letter to the church of Corinth,
46:35 there was one scripture that really touched me,
46:40 that encouraged me, that boosted and increased my faith.
46:47 We need people in this Adventist movement
46:51 and in our churches today, we need people
46:55 that promote faith, that live faith.
46:58 Why? Because it encourages those around them.
47:02 Paul's life, his dedication, his consistency
47:07 in the work of Jesus Christ, his faith encourages me.
47:11 It boosted my faith in God as well.
47:15 Listen, I'm going to read this to you.
47:18 Paul said, "We are troubled on every side."
47:21 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
47:24 "We are troubled," he said, "on every side, yet not distressed;
47:30 we are perplexed, but not in despair;
47:34 we are persecuted, but not forsaken;
47:37 cast down, but not destroyed..."
47:40 Listen, in Paul's letter to the church in Corinth,
47:44 that one scripture really touched my heart.
47:46 Listen, it was as though Paul was looking
47:50 into our present day lives.
47:53 He could see our world as it is today.
47:57 It was as though he could see that we were about to
48:00 fear terrorism, terror on the streets due to
48:03 murder and rape and abductions.
48:06 It was almost like Paul could see at the end of time.
48:10 That mothers and fathers leaving and murdering their children.
48:15 Our government leaders are constantly found
48:18 in unholy circumstances today.
48:21 So many families in our present day lives
48:24 are without jobs, inflation is at an all-time high,
48:28 pollution of the lands and the seas,
48:31 global warming has changed the weather around the world.
48:34 Listen as Mrs. White said in the spirit of prophecy.
48:38 Storms, fires, and catastrophic events
48:42 would dominate at the end of times, that they would escalate.
48:46 As we see today on the internet, and the television,
48:50 and the radio, the threats of nuclear attack;
48:54 all these things are in our mind.
48:56 You can only smell, sense, and touch that Jesus Christ
49:02 is about to return.
49:04 And everybody said amen.
49:06 Listen to Daniel 12:1, folks.
49:09 Listen very carefully.
49:10 We are living in the last times.
49:14 We need to get right with God today.
49:17 We need to be steadfast and strong.
49:19 Our faith needs to be fortified and solidified
49:23 by studying the Scriptures.
49:25 If you want to be a faithful servant of God,
49:29 you must spend time on your knees and in the Bible.
49:33 Listen to what it says in Daniel 12:1.
49:35 "And at that time shall Michael stand up,
49:40 the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people.
49:44 And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was
49:48 since there was a nation even to that same time.
49:51 And at that time thy people shall be delivered,
49:55 every one that shall be found written in the book of life."
50:00 The bottom line is, no matter what comes in these last days,
50:05 no matter what trials and dark times come in the last moments
50:09 of time, we folks, a Pastor John Lomacang said,
50:14 we are about to step into eternity.
50:17 And if I'm going to step into eternity, I want to be ready.
50:21 Don't you?
50:22 I want to know that my God is able to raise me from the dead.
50:27 I want to have a spiritual, intimate relationship
50:31 with Jesus.
50:33 A one on one intimate relationship
50:36 with my Lord and Savior.
50:38 Now listen, Paul states in 2 Corinthians
50:42 that we are troubled on every side.
50:45 We are surrounded by trouble.
50:47 Yet as Christians we should not be distressed
50:51 because we have God on our side.
50:54 That no matter what I might go through in the last moments
50:58 of time before I step into eternity, if I remain faithful,
51:03 if I remain persistent, and consistent
51:06 in my walk with God, no matter the darkness,
51:10 no matter the trials, if I continue to move forward
51:13 for Jesus, we will be in the kingdom.
51:16 I'm like Paul; I'm running, I'm working toward perfection.
51:22 I haven't reached there yet.
51:24 But as I move forward, if I die before Christ comes
51:30 I must be moving forward for Jesus.
51:35 There's no stopping point.
51:38 I must be continually, as Danny Shelton said,
51:41 taking steps up the stairs, level by level,
51:46 never stopping, never resting, always moving forward for Jesus.
51:52 And He said, "If you're faithful..."
51:55 Boy, that's a big word.
51:57 "If you're faithful and you're moving forward,
52:01 and when you pass away you love Me,
52:03 and you kept My commandments, and you've been filled
52:06 with the Spirit, and you've been washed in the blood
52:09 of Jesus Christ, and you've been wrapped in His righteousness,
52:12 when I come you will go to heaven and
52:15 spend eternity with Me."
52:18 Is God willing?
52:21 God is willing.
52:23 Listen, God is able to give me victory over my slothfulness.
52:30 God is able to give me the desire to study the Word.
52:36 If you say, "Donnie, I study the Word, I get nothing out of it,"
52:38 before you study the Word of God, before you open that Bible,
52:41 fall on your knees and say, "Oh God, will you send
52:43 the Holy Spirit to help me interpret what I'm reading?"
52:47 And I always say, if we ask the Holy Spirit
52:50 to help us interpret, that we will have spiritual
52:53 light bulb moments, that as we read the Scripture we'll say,
52:56 "I got it, I got it. I understand it."
52:59 That can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit.
53:01 Let's go a bit further.
53:03 God is able to take the ambitions of this world
53:07 and turn them...
53:08 Listen, if you are an ambitious person
53:11 working for material things in this world,
53:14 say, "Oh God, deliver me from that."
53:16 God is able to deliver you today.
53:18 Listen, God is able, through the power of the Holy Spirit,
53:23 to transform us into soul winners instead of soul killers.
53:28 God says, "Either you're for Me or you're against Me."
53:34 There's only two sides.
53:36 "You're for Me or you're against Me.
53:38 If you're against Me, you're taking souls to hell with you.
53:45 You're taking them to the death that there's no return with you.
53:50 But if you're on My side, you're taking them with you
53:55 to the eternal destination of eternal life
53:58 and living in the New Jerusalem."
54:00 You're either with God or you're against God today.
54:04 Listen, you might say, "Oh Donnie,
54:09 you don't know the adversity I'm going through.
54:12 You don't know the trial that is before me.
54:16 I'm at the point, even though I have accepted Christ,
54:20 because of all these trials and tribulations
54:23 I'm about to quit the race.
54:27 I'm so tired.
54:29 I'm so discouraged.
54:31 The road ahead of me, that's in front of me,
54:34 it just seems like it gets steeper, and steeper,
54:37 and steeper; and I am exhausted."
54:40 But friends, if you're going through that today,
54:43 I want you to turn to Romans 5:8.
54:46 Turn there with me.
54:47 Let me read what the Bible says, what Paul said.
54:52 Come to God just as you are.
54:54 Listen carefully.
54:55 "But God commendeth his love toward us..."
55:01 "God commendeth his love toward us,
55:05 in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
55:09 Let me break that down for you.
55:11 In our carnality, in our imperfections,
55:15 in our bitterness, in our defiance towards God,
55:18 it was in this state of our every being that Jesus,
55:23 in His love and His mercy, willfully and joyfully
55:28 gave His life for us.
55:30 I always put it this way.
55:32 That's one of my favorite scriptures, by the way.
55:35 There was a time when I was living in the world,
55:38 that I was living for self.
55:40 And my parents thought, "Donnie has gone just too far this time.
55:45 There's no one that can save him."
55:48 But Jesus Christ went out in the world and He found me.
55:55 It's not like I woke up one day and said, "I tell you what,
55:58 I'm going to go find Jesus today."
56:00 The fact and the truth, that when Jesus came to this world,
56:05 He came to find you.
56:07 He came to find me.
56:09 And Jesus went out into the world of sin
56:11 and He found Donnie in the muck and the mire
56:14 of the sin in this world.
56:15 And Jesus Christ personally picked me up out of this
56:20 muck and mire and He washed me clean in His own blood.
56:23 Not because I was perfect, because I was imperfect.
56:26 I was in sin, but God loved me anyway.
56:28 Jesus Christ wanted to save me.
56:30 So what He did is, when He picked me up,
56:33 He did not just wash me clean in His blood,
56:36 but then He took His robe, His robe of righteousness,
56:42 that pure and spotless and wrinkle-free robe,
56:45 and He wrapped it around me.
56:47 And then in His grace and mercy, He filled me with the power
56:51 of the Holy Spirit.
56:53 And then He said, "Donnie, pick up that Bible.
56:55 It's the lamp, it's the light.
56:57 You need that to continue to grow.
57:00 So I praise God today.
57:02 And I want to tell you today, friend,
57:04 if God can save someone like me, a sinner...
57:10 I'm saved by grace, through His mercy and love.
57:14 ...then if He can save me, friends, I know He can save you.
57:18 Give your life to Jesus today.
57:20 No matter where you're at, no matter how far in the world
57:22 you are today, come back to Jesus and humbly bow
57:25 before Him and say, "Jesus, take me into the kingdom."
57:29 Amen.


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Revised 2017-04-26